With the Kentucky Derby just around the corner, a Naples fashion designer plans to dress up the stands with her couture hats.

This year's derby, which celebrates its 144th year, isn't her first. Gwendolyn Gleason has traveled to Louisville on and off since 2005 to dress female spectators with handmade hats from her Hatitude collection.

Gleason is already in Kentucky gearing up for the main event taking place May 5 at Churchill Downs. She spoke to the Citizen over the phonelast weekwhile preparing for a trunk show.

Straw and silk flowers are just some of the ingredients to Gleason's hats and fascinators, often inspired by fashion from the late 19th-and early 20th-century and period TV dramas like the PBS series "Downton Abbey."

John Velazquez rides Always Dreaming to victory in the 143rd running of the Kentucky Derby horse race at Churchill Downs Saturday, May 6, 2017, in Louisville, Ky.(Photo: Morry Gash, AP)

"The hats I create are all about femininity and elegance," Gleason said. "I intend to pay homage to the cultural heritage established by women and their participation in the derby the last 144 years.

"Their participation has been rather neglected as it is their presence that turns the stands into a bouquet of femininity, which gives the horse races color and piquancy.

"Our manner of dress and the elegance of our hats send a message about our femininity and a cause for respect and even admiration."

A graduate from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, Gleason started making a name for herself in the fashion world at age 21, selling her pieces to high-end departments stores, including Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom.

She spent a decade designing fashion abroad in Italy, England and France.

When Gleason, who's now in her fifties, isn't traveling across the country or the globe, she spends hours crafting elaborate hats and apparel at her winter home in Naples. She moved to the area in the '90s to care for her parents.

While many women wear hats at the derby, Gleason said more and more women are opting for fascinators. The designer also creates the hat alternative upon request. A fascinator is usually a large decorative design attached to a head band or clip, and sometimes incorporates a base to resemble a hat.

"The derby is a long day. The headband style tends to be lighter and often better for women who don't want to mess up their hair."

In the end, Gleason hopes women feel confident wearing what she created when they hit the derby stands.

"I see this year's derby as a timely canvas where an artist like myself can provide sufficient color and meaning to help make the event a new landmark on the struggle for equality and respect for women," she said.